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' L. F. KENNEDY KICKBR LATCH FOR STOVE OR OTHERDOORSL No. 501,883. "Patented July 18, 1893.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOGAN P. KENNEDY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE LITHGOW MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

KlCKER-LATOH. FO'R STOVE OR OTHER DOORS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 501,883, dated July 18, 1893.

Application filed April 17, 1893. Serial No. 470.747. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOGAN P. KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kicker-Latches for Stove or other Doors; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

In the drawings Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of the side of an ordinary cooking stove representing the forward or free end portion of the oven door and the stove frame about it, the door closed and provided with my improved kicker latch. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same portions of the stove showing the oven door ajar. Fig. 3 is a detail showing a portion of the door and illustrating the mode of attaching the latch to it. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the latch post and stop lug and Fig. 5 is a detail view of the kicker latch.

In the drawings I represent my improved latch as applied to the door of the even of an ordinary cooking stove. Oven doors for stoves of the kind represented are usually made with two latches, cast integrally with the door, projecting from the free side or edge of the door, one located on the side of that part of the door covering the upper part of the oven, as at b, and the other on the side of the door covering the lower part of the oven; which latches are adapted to engage rigid or stationary catches, a, projecting from the side A of the stove, the rear end of the door being loosely secured by pivots to the stove frame in a manner to permit the lifting of its free or swinging end as the latches ride over the catches and into the notches of the same. A door having such latches is easily closed. Oven doors so provided have been generally opened by a handle as shown at b, with which it is necessary to lift the door upward and draw it outward. If the door is heavy or hot this requires the cook or other operator to free the hands of any burden in them and protect, with some covering, the hand that grasps the handle to lift the door. In order to enable such a door to be opened more easily and, if desired, without using the hands, I have employed, instead of the usual integral latch b on the lower front edge of the oven door, a kicker latch C, pivoted on a post d projecting from the middle part of a stop lug D cast integral with or firmly attached to the edge of the door B. This kicker latch consists of a latch part C, a fulcrum or body part C and a handle part C On each side of the body part are cast stop knobs or swells c, o, and 0' represents the pivot hole. The latch part 0' of the kicker is curved on its lower side, as shown, to fit the curved notch a in the catch, and the fulcrum part C of the kicker is also curvilinear on its lower side to move with less friction over the inclined outer face of the latch a. The stop lug D is preferably convex on its outer surface. The pivot post (1, has a groove 01 surrounding it near its outer end. The kicker latch C pivoted on this post is held loosely in position by the metal ring at pressed into the groove cl. The boss or swivel c on the inner side of the fulcrum part of the lever C, by coming in contact with the lug D prevents the handle part when depressed or elevated on opening the door, from coming too near the side of the stove. In practice I cast these kicker latches with bosses c on both sides so that they can be used either on a right hand or a left hand door. The handle part C of the kicker latch is p'referably widened toward the outer end, as shown, so as to adapt it to be pushed down conveniently by the foot or grasped as a handle by the hand.

When it is desired to open a stove door provided with my kicker latch, thehandle part can be pressed down with the foot, when the fulcrum part C having a bearing on the highest part of the lower catch 00 outside the notch a the latch part C is lifted out of the notch 01, and the door, to which the latch part C is pivoted, is lifted at the same time and disengages the upper latch 12 from the notch a in the upper catch, the curved fulcrum part C of the kicker latch slips down over the inclined outer surface of the catch and the door opens as shown in Fig. 2. If the handle part C is depressed with a quick smart stroke, the oven door will fly open. When the oven door B is closed, the angular inner end 0 of the kicker latch (J rests against the side A of the stove. The door can be opened by grasping the handle part of the lever with the hand, depressing it and pulling the door open, and it can also be opened, just as well, by raising the handle in which case the corner 0 of the lever, pressing against the side A of the stove and serving as a fulcrum, pushes the curved under surface of the latch part 0 out of the curved notch 01, in the catch and, lifting the door, disengages at the same time the upper latch b from its catch.

It is not essential to use on oven doors the ment of parts as herein shown and claimed whereby a lever pivoted to a doormay be operated by either foot or hand'and the door opened by movingthe lever either downward ornpward is new and useful.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination with the frame, and a catch secured to said frame and having a notch in its upper edge, of a hinged door, and

a lever, pivoted to said door and having a 5 bearing on said catch near the notch therein,

said leverhaving the underside of its forward end formed to be received by said notch and 1 the upper side of its forward end in engagement with the frame, substantially as depost cl adapted to engage the hole 0 in the kicker latch C, in combination with the frame A provided with the catch or having the notch a all constructed and arranged substantially as described and for the purposes specified. 3. The combination with a frame, a catch thereon, having an inclined outer edge and a notch in its upper edge, of a hinged door, and a lever, pivoted to said hinged door, said lever having a curved under surface designed to engage the inclined surface of said catch adjjacent to said notch, and also havng the under side of its inner end formed to be received by said notch and the upper side of its inner end formed to engage said frame, substangtially as described and for the purpose speciified.

n 4. The combination with a frame, and a icatch, secured thereto and formed with a notch, of a hinged, vertically-movable door, a stop-lug, secured to said door adjacent to ithe free end thereof, a latch-lever, loosely tpivoted to the side of. said lever and having ga'boss designed to engage said 1'ng,theunider side of said lever bearing againstsaid gcatch and also formedso as to be receivedby isaid notch in the catch, substantially as' defscribed and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOGAN P. KENNEDY.

Witnesses:

LYNN L. KENNEDY,

WM. H. TUCKER. 

